Barbell Deadlift Form Check - 265lbs

[Christian Carson]

Hi guys!

Just looking to get a form check on my deadlift and have it picked apart a bit. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated.

 

[Timo Keskitalo]

I'm not good in this but: maybe a bit rounding of back in the wrong place, around where belt is. I would:
- inhale in standing position
- very slightly bend forward from hip to properly activate abs
- pull navel to anus and vice versa
- take hold of the bar and press feet through the floor while keeping the back straight and tight
- look up or forward, not down.

Perform reps as singles.

Also take off shoes. They increase your range of motion and you give others a head start. Belt is also not necessary.

 

[Bill Been]

You’re setting up a bit too far from the bar, which:
Drops your hips a bit too low and;
Leaves your shoulders a bit too far behind the bar, and;
Your knees/shins a hair too far forward.
You can see the bar move backwards a couple inches as your shins retract aft and the bar follows them. Set up with the bar over the middle of your whole foot - basically the bow in your shoe laces or about an inch and a half from your shins. Take your grip; bring your shins to the bar and outward into the crook of your elbows. This action sets your hip height. All that remains is to take a deep breath and hold, raise your chest up HARD to set your back, then drag the bar up your legs to lockout.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Christian Carson, welcome to the StrongFirst forum.

Please give us background - current sports you do, any injuries we should know about past or present, your experience deadlifting before now, other strength training you do or have done, and anything else you think might be relevant.

-S

 

[Christian Carson]

In response I'll provide the steps I go through when setting up, maybe you guys find something wrong with my process.
1.) I setup with the barbell about 1" - 1 1/2" away from my shins so the barbell is directly over my midfoot.
2.)When I bend down and grab the barbell, I grab at a comfortable shoulder width close to my knees. After bending down my foot placement also allows my shins to touch the barbell, and I will push my knees slightly outward to make sure they're also touching my arms and push out my chest to straighten my arms.
3.) Tuck my chin (I feel stronger when I tuck my chin, and I've always been told to do this as looking forward can reduce some of your power), then take a deep breath into the stomach and brace.
4.) Push through the heels and try to drag the barbell up in a straight line over your midfoot, lockout at the top hard with the glutes.

My shins and knees are typically sore the next couple days as I try to keep the barbell as close to my body as possible when pulling and the barbell will bump into them on the way up. I've heard mixed thoughts on this, some people have said that's correct but others have said if you're hurting your shins/knees your form is wrong. I've also heard mixed thoughts I also try to do my best to make sure my shoulder joint is over the barbell, but after reviewing I definitely think I'm not over the barbell quite as much as I should be which as @Bill Been mentioned is causing my hips to drop. I think my back may be slightly rounded around my belt as well, but I've had a problem with overcompensating and hyper-extending my back during squats and deadlifts in trying to maintain a neutral spine during those exercises.

As far as past experience goes @Steve Freides, I have had a few personal training sessions in the past at an anytime fitness, but I've never garnered significant experience in the gym before. I've gone through one month stints here and there over the past few years, but I would only typically lifted like a bro; upper body day, every day. I have had issues with tendinitis in my left wrist (I'm a drummer), and recently I've had some problems with my lower/mid back getting tight. Although, I've noticed significant improvement with that problem after implementing a daily mobility routine with stretching, foam rolling, and working my muscles out with a lacrosse ball.

I only started training with dedication to general health within the past 5 months, and then I developed a focused interest in powerlifting within the past month and a half which is what I've been training for now. I've referenced a lot of Alan Thrall's videos on youtube for technique regarding the big 3, but at the same time that is only taking me so far.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Christian Carson, probably the best thing you could do would be to take our barbell course or work with one of our SFL instructors. There's no substitute for one-on-one instruction, and many people find that even a single session can make a profound difference in their technique and performance.

Videos can't watch you.

-S-

 

[Anna C]

@Christian Carson, welcome and it's always good to see more people deadlifting

I'll agree with @Bill Been's input; he's been coaching me most of this year and I've come a long way with my deadlift as a result.

One thing I'll add that I noticed is on your descent, you're coming around the knees just a bit which tends to land the bar a bit forward of mid-foot between reps. If you initiate the descent with "hips back" you'll find a straighter path to bring the bar down.

 

[Antti]

Looks pretty good to me. It appears that the bar moves horizontally, but I'm not sure if it's an issue for you. Another video from another angle could tell something more.

 

[kiwipete]

Hi @Christian Carson !

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor or a physiotherapist but I did coach in the past.

What I see : Hips start too low and the back is curved (flexed) and not in a braced, neutral position..

It appears that you lower your hips, prior to lifting, to get a 'braced spine' / neutral spine.

I'm guessing you are very, very tight in the back of the upper legs (hamstrings), this possibly correlates with your back issues?

When you don't have sufficient range of motion in the back of the legs it means you have to give a little more somewhere else...like the back...and then the back gets overly fatigued and guess what... it sends you little messages called pain, niggles, strains etc.

This would explain why your body is not in the best set up position prior to lifting.

If you want to try an experiment

1) Get into the initial deadlift position and take a photo, notice where the strain is in your body.(feet, lower legs, butt, lower back, upper back etc)

2) Sit on a hard table, dangle your lower legs over the side. Place a lacrosse ball / tennis ball / massage ball under your leg between your butt and the back the knee area. Gently spend a couple of minutes on moving you lower leg/ ball about to find the tight spots to work the ball into. Pause and 'breath into' any areas that are tight or uncomfortable for 5-10 breaths. Move to the next area, swap legs repeat.

3) Re-test your set up position, take a photo..does it look better, does it FEEL better and are you able to keep a braced spine and have your hips higher?